Support for scaffolds or the like



1936- J. E. CHICOINE 2,049,893

SUPPORT FOR SCAFFOLDS OR THE LIKE Original Filed Dec. 26, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheei l 1936- J. E. CHICOINE 93 SUPPORT FOR SCAFFOLDS OR THE LIKE Original Filed Dec. 26, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 UNE'EEE STATES PATENT OFFICE SUPPORT FOR SCAFFOLDS OR THE LIKE James E. Chiccine, Buffalo, N. Y., assignor to Francis L. Robertson, Buffalo, N. Y.

Refile of application Serial No. 416,550, December 26, 1929. Serial No. 52,691

13 Claims.

This invention relates to a support for scaffolds or the like and more particularly to such a support which is adapted to be used in supporting a scaffold from the columns of I beam form used in structural steel buildings.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide such a support which can be directly applied to the flanges of the I beam forming the column and when so applied firmly and reliably maintains its engagement therewith so that there is no danger of the support slipping with the possibility of serious injuries to the workmen on the scaifold or those below.

A further object is to provide such a scaffold which is adjustable to any usual size of I beam section and which can be quickly and readily adjusted to the size of I beam to which it is applied and can also be quickly and easily applied thereto.

Another purpose is to provide such a support which is applied to the outer faces of the flanges of the I beam column but in which provision is made for supporting the scaffold either parallel with these faces or at right angles thereto so that the scaffold may be placed as desired without reference to the position of the column.

A still further aim is to provide such a support in which the tilting of the support under the load causes the lower edge of the support to dig into the side of the column and prevent downward slippage, thereby increasing the margin of safety of the support as the load imposed upon it is increased. r Another purpose is to provide such a support which can be employed in pairs, the upper support being adapted to support the scaffold or the like and the lower support being adapted to brace the upper support and strengthen the same.

Other objects are to provide such a support which is comparatively light in weight and at the same time is strong and durable and will remain in good working condition for a long time with constant use.

This application is a refile of the application filed by myself December 26, 1929, Serial No. 416,- 550 and allowed November 5, 1931.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig; 1 is a perspective view of a scafiold supported from a column of I beam section by a support embodying my invention, the scaffold being shown as parallel with the web of the I beam.

Fig. 2 is a similar view, showing the scaffold parallel with the end flanges of the I beam.

This application December 3, 1935,

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section, taken on line 33, Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section, taken on line 41-4, Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a vertical section, taken on line 55, 5 Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a vertical section, taken on line 66, Fig. 3. I

Fig. '7 is a fragmentary vertical section, taken on line |-'l, Fig. 4.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the fixed or adjustable shoe forming part of the means for clamping this support to the I beam column.

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary perspective view of the arm to which this shoe is adjustably secured.

Fig. 10 is a side elevation of a pair of supports embodying my invention showing the upper support braced and strengthened by a lower support.

Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts in each of the views.

In its general organization this invention comprises a plate adapted to be applied to the outer face of the flanges of an I beam column or the like and having a slotted arm projecting outwardly parallel with said flanges and a second arm projecting perpendicularly outward therefrom, an extension bar adapted to be secured to either of said arms, a shoe applied to the slotted arm and adapted to engage the adjacent flange of the I beam, a bolt extending through said shoe and slot so that upon loosening this bolt the shoe can be adjustably moved along the slot, a horizontal slot at the opposite end of the plate,

a clamping shoe having an H shaped part receiving the end guided in the last named slot and being adapted to engage the opposite flange of the I beam so as to clamp the I beam between the shoes, a head secured to the plate and extending over the outer end of the last named slot and having a threaded opening which receives a screw, this screw being rotatably connected to the clamping shoe so that upon turning this screw the shoes are moved toward and from one another, and the lower end of the plate being adapted to dig into the side of the I beam when a load is imposed to prevent slippage of the plate down the I beam. The parts are also so organized that a pair of supports can be employed together, the upper support supporting the scaffold and the lower support bracing and strengthening the upper support. The support as shown is more particularly intended to be applied to a structural steel column I5 having the usual central web l6 and flanges H. The main element of this support comprises a plate I9 having one arm 20 which is comparatively long and extends parallel with the flanges I1 and a comparatively short arm 2| which extends perpendicularly outward from the center of the plate I9. The short perpendicular arm 2| is provided with a pair of spaced holes 22 and the long arm is similarly provided with a pair of spaced holes 23. These arms are each adapted to support a scafiold 24 which can be of any suitable form but is shown as being composed of the usual ladder 25 upon which planks or boards 26 are laid so that the workmen can easily walk upon the same and materials can be piled thereon. To support this scaffold an extension bar 21 is provided, this extension bar being provided with three holes 28 which are spaced so as to register with the pair of holes 22 in the short arm 2| and also the pair of spaced holes 23 in the long arm 20. By this means the extension bar 21 can be applied to either of the arms .2I or 22 and bolted by bolts 29 passing through the holes 23 and the holes 23 in the long arm or passing through the holes 28 in the extension bar and the holes 22 in the short arm. By this means it is apparent that the scaffold 24 carried by this extension bar 21 can be either arranged parallel with the web l6 of the I beam column, as shown in Fig. 1 or the extension bar can be applied to the short arm 2| and the scaffold 24 arranged parallel with the flanges I1 of the I beam column as shown in Fig. 2. The means for supporting the plate I9 against the outer face of the flanges I1 of the I beam column include a fixed adjustable shoe 30 which is adapted to engage one flange of the I beam column and a movable shoe 3| which is adapted to engage the opposite flange. The fixed adjustable shoe 3!] includes a base I3I which is secured to the side of the long arm 20 and a jaw 32 which is adapted to engage the inclined inner face of the adjacent flange I1 so that this flange is held and clamped between the jaw 32 and the plate I9. For the purpose of adapting the support toI beam sections of different sizes the long arm 23 is provided with a slot 33 and the shoe 30 is connected to this arm by a. bolt/34 which passes through the base I3I of this shoe and the slot 33 so that upon loosening the bolt 34 the shoe 30 can be moved along the slot 33. To insure a firm engagement between the shoe 3|] and the arm 20 in any adjusted position the arm 2|! is provided with vertical serrations 35 and the contacting face of the base |3I of the shoe 30 is similarly provided with vertical serrations 36. The danger of slipping of the shoe 30 on the I beam section is also reduced by the provision of horizontal serrations 31 on the inner face of the jaw 32, as best shown in Fig. 8. g V

The opposite side of the plate I9 is formed to provide a bifurcated arm which forms a slot 4|; This slot forms a horizontal guideway for the shoe 3I and for this purpose the base 42 of the movable shoe 3| is H shaped in cross section so as to form a central reduced part which is received in the slot 4I- and enlarged parts which engage the sides of the bifurcated arm 40. The shoe 3| is provided with an extension 43 similar to. the extension 32 of the fixed shoe 30 and this extension 43 can be provided with horizontal serrationssimilar to theserrations31of the fixed shoe 30; At the outer end of the bifurcated arm 43 a head 44 is secured by means of bolts 45 or in any other suitable manner, this head being secured to the ends of the bifurcated arm and hav ing a horizontal threaded opening 46. This opening 46 receives a screw 41 having a handle 48 so that it can be conveniently turned and the inner end of this screw 41 bears against the end of the base 42 of the movable clamping shoe 3|. It is therefore apparent that upon screwing the screw 41 inwardly it forces the clamping shoe 3| inwardly against the flange of the I beam column I5 and thereby securely clamps the flanges of this column between the fixed adjustable shoe 30 and this movable clamping shoe 3|. In order to prevent interference of the bolt 34 in applying the extension bar 21 to the long arm 20, a groove 49 is provided in the arm 20 and a similar groove 53 is provided in the extension bar 21, the head of the bolt 41 being received in these grooves and the extension bar 21 being securely held against the face of the arm 2ll. These grooves 49 and 50 also prevent the bolt 41 from turning should it be desired to readjust the shoe 33 without removing the extension bar 21.

When the extension bar 21 is secured to the short arm 2| it will be apparent that the load carried by this extension bar will have a tendency to tilt the plate I9. To take advantage of this tilting effect the lower edge of the plate I9 is formed to provide a tooth or comparatively sharp edge 5| which is adapted to dig into the outer face of the flanges I1 when a load is applied to the arm 2|, as best shown in Fig. 7. By this means the greater the load that is imposed upon the arm 2| the greater W111 be the digging-in effect of the 30 tooth 5| and consequently the margin of safety of the support is increased in proportion to the load imposed upon this arm 2|. The loads imposed upon the other arm 23 are adequately taken care of by the form, arrangement and position of the clamping shoes 33 and 3 I. When unusually heavy loads are to be carried by the scaffold' 24 it is desirable to employ the supports in pairs upon each column the upper support being arranged to carry the scaifold 24 and the lower support being adapted to brace the'upper support.

For this purpose each extension bar is provided with a longitudinal slot 52. The upper support, as shown in Fig. 10, is secured to the column and the extension bar 21 is secured to the arm 20 so as to project horizontally outward and support the scaffold 24. The lower support is then applied to the column I5 in the same manner some distance below the upper support but its extension bar 21 instead of being arranged to project hori- 50 zontally outward is secured at its end to the end of the lower arm 20. This is effected by a bolt 53 passing through the outer end hole 23 of the arm 2|] and a hole 54 provided at the outer end of the extension bar 21. This lower extension 55 bar 21 extends diagonally upward and its upper end is connected to the outer end of the upper extension bar 21 by a bolt 55 which passes through the end hole 28 of the diagonal extension bar and the slot 52 of the upper extension bar. 00

By this means it will be apparent that the upper extension bar 21 is braced by the diagonal lower extension bar 21 and the lower support so that greater loads can be imposed upon the. scaffold 24 without danger of having the support slip. It is also apparent that the extension bars 21 of the upper and lower supports can be similarly applied to the short arms 2| of the supports when it is desired to have the scaffold 24 arranged parallel with the flanges I1 of the I-beam column instead 'of perpendicular thereto, as shown in Fig. 10.

In applying this support the bolt 34 is loosened and the shoe 3!] is moved along the long arm 20 to the desired position to suit the I-beam section on which this support is to be mounted. The plate I9 is then placed against the outer face of the flange ll of the I beam and is moved so that the flange ii is caught between the fixed shoe 30 and the plate Hi. The movable shoe 3| is then moved along the slot 4| until it engages the opposite flange I? of the I beam between the extension 43 of this movable shoe 3| and the plate I9 and the screw 41 is tightened so as to force the shoe 3| inwardly and thereby clamp the flanges I1 between the extensions 32 and 43 of the shoes 30 and 3t and the plate l9. By reason of the serrations on the extensions 32 and 43 of the shoes 30 and 3| firm engagement is obtained. The extension bar 21 is then applied. When this extension bar is secured to the long arm 20 the connecting bolts 29 are passed through the holes 23 in this arm and the holes 28 in this extension bar,

and when this extension bar 21 is applied to the short arm 2| these bolts 29 are passed through the holes 22 in the short arm 2i and the corresponding holes 28 in the extension bar 21. The scaffold 24 is then braced upon the extension bar 27 and is ready for use. If it is desired to provide additional strength a lower support is secured to the I beam column below the upper support and its extension bar is secured at its end to the end hole 23 of the arm 20 or the end hole 22 of the arm 2|, as the case may be by a bolt 53 passing through either of these holes and a hole 54 at the end of the extension bar 21 and the upper end of this lower extension bar 21 is secured to the end of the upper extension bar 21 by a bolt which passes through the end hole 28 of the lower extension bar and the slot 52 of the upper extensionbar. By this arrangement the lower extension bar 21 forms a diagonal brace for the outer end of the upper extension bar 21 and thereby greatly increases the strength of the upper extension bar 21.

From the foregoing it is apparent that the present invention provides a support for supporting scaffolds or the like from structural steel members of I beam form in cross section which support is strong and durable and can be quickly clamped in reliable engagement with the flanges of the I beam, and when so clamped will reliably support the load and will not slip along the column.

The support is also so designed that it can be readily adapted for supporting the scaffold either parallel with the web of the column or perpendicularly thereto and in either condition will support the scaffold with a large margin of safety. The support is also capable of being used in pairs, one support directly carrying the load and the other support bracing and strengthening the first support. The support is also inexpensive in manufacture, is comparatively light in weight and will stand up under severe conditions of use without getting out of order or losing its efiiciency.

I claim as my invention:

1. A device of the character described, comprising a flat plate, means for securing said flat plate to the outer face of the flanges of an I beam or the like, said plate being formed to provide one arm extending horizontally outward substantially parallel with said face and a second arm extending horizontally outward perpendicular thereto, each of said arms being adapted to carry a supported object and means carried by said plate and engaging the inner faces of said flanges for clamping said plate to said I-beam.

2. A device of the character described, including a flat plate, means for securing said flat plate to the outer face of the flanges of an I-beam or the like, said plate being formed to provide one arm extending horizontally outward substantially parallel with said face and a second arm extending horizontally outward perpendicular thereto; each of said arms being adapted to carry a supported object, a clamping shoe adjustable along said first arm and adapted to engage one flange of said I-beam, a shoe at the opposite end of said plate and adapted to engage the other flange and means for moving said last shoe toward and from said first shoe.

3. A device of the character described, including a flat plate, means for securing said fiat plate to the outer face of the flanges of an I beam or the like, said plate being formed to provide one arm extending horizontally outward substantially parallel with said face and a second arm extending horizontally outward perpendicular thereto, each'of said arms being adapted to carry a supported object, said first arm being provided with a horizontal slot, a shoe applied to the side of said slotted arm and adapted to engage one flange of said I beam a bolt extending through said slot and shoe whereby upon loosening said bolt said shoe can be adjustably positioned along said slot, a second shoe at the opposite end of said plate and adapted to engage the other flange and means for moving said last shoe toward and lar thereto, each of said arms being adapted to carry a supported object, said first arm being provided with a horizontal slot, a shoe applied to the side of said slotted arm and adapted to engage one flange of said I beam, a bolt extending through said slot and shoe whereby upon loosening said bolt said shoe can be adjustably positioned along said slot, a second shoe at the opposite end of said plate and adapted to engage the other flange and means for moving said last shoe toward and from said first shoe, the contacting faces of said first shoe and said slotted arm being serrated to insure a firm engagement therebetween.

5. A device of the character described, including a member adapted to be applied to the outer face of the flanges of an I beam or the like and provided at one side with a horizontal slot, a shoe applied to one side of said member and adapted to engage the adjacent flange of said I beam, a bolt extending through said slot and shoe Whereby upon loosening said bolt said shoe can be adjustably positioned along said slot and a second shoe at the opposite end of said plate and adapted to engage the other flange of said I beam, said member being adapted to carry a supported object.

6. A device of the character described, including a member adapted to be applied to the outer face of the flanges of an I beam or the like and provided at one side with a horizontal slot, a shoe applied to one side of said member and adapted to engage the adjacent flange of said I beam, a bolt extending through said slot and shoe whereby upon loosening said bolt said shoe can be adjustably positioned along said slot and a second shoe at the opposite end of said plate and adapted to engage the other flange of said I beam, said member being adapted to carry a supported object, and the contacting faces of said member and first shoe being provided with vertical serrations to insure a firm engagement therebetween.

'7. A device of the character described, including a plate adapted to be applied to one side of an I beam or the like and adapted to carry a supported object, a fixed shoe at one side of said plate adapted to engage the corresponding part of said I beam a movable shoe slidingly mounted for horizontal movement at the opposite side of said plate toward and from said first shoe, said movable shoe being adapted to engage an opposite part of said I beam whereby said I beam can be clamped between said shoes, and means for moving said movable shoe.

8. A device of the character described, including a plate adapted to be applied to one side of an I beam or the like and adapted to carry a supported object, a fixed shoe at one side of said plate adapted to engage the corresponding part of said I beam the opposite side of said plate being provided with a horizontal'slot, a second shoe arranged in said slot and guided thereby, said last named shoe being adapted to engage an opposite part of said I beam whereby said I beam can be clamped between said shoes, and means for moving said movable shoe along said slot.

9. A device of the character described, including a plate adapted to be applied to one side oian I beam or the like and adapted to carry a supported object, a fixed shoe at one side of said plate adapted to engage the corresponding part of said I beam, the opposite side of said plate being formed to provide a horizontal slot, a second shoe having an H shaped part received in and guided by said, slot, said last named shoe being adapted to engage an opposite part of said I beam whereby said I beam can be clamped between said shoes, and screw means for moving said movable shoe along said slot, said plate being adapted to carry a supported load.

10. A device of the character described, including a plate adapted to be applied to one side of an I beam or the like and adapted to carry a supported object, a fixed shoe at one side of said plate adapted to-engage the corresponding part of said I beam, the opposite side of said plate being bifurcated to provide a horizontal guide slot, a second shoe having an H-shaped part received in and guided by said slot, a head secured to said plate at the outer end of said slot, said head having a threaded opening and a screw arranged in said threaded opening and rotatably secured to said movable shoe whereby upon turning said screw said second shoe is moved toward and from said fixed shoe.

11. A device of the character described, including a plate adapted to be applied to the side of an I beam or the like and adapted to carry a supported object, a shoe adjustably mounted at one side of said plate and adapted to engage the adjacent part of said I beam, a horizontally movable. shoe carried at the other end of said plate and adapted to engage an opposite part of said I beam and a screw having threaded connection with said plate and rotatably secured to said movable shoe whereby upon turning said screw said. movable shoe is moved toward and from said adjustable shoe.

l2, A device of the character described, including a plate adapted to be applied to the outer face of the flanges of an I beam or the like, a slotted arm projecting outwardly from said plate parallel with said face, a second arm projecting perpendicularly outward from said plate, an extension adapted to be secured to either of said arms, a shoe applied to said slotted arm and adapted to engage the adjacent flange of said I beam, 2. bolt extending through said shoe and slot whereby upon loosening said bolt said shoe can be moved along said slot, the opposite side of said plate being provided with a horizontal slot, a second shoe having an H shaped part received and guided in said last named slot and being for ed to engage the opposite flange of said I beam thereby to clamp said I beam between said shoes, a head secured to said plate and extending over the outer end of said last named slot and having a threaded opening, and a screw in said threaded opening and rotatably connected to said second shoe whereby upon turning said screw said second shoe is moved toward and from said first shoe, and the lower edge of said plate being adapted to engage the side of said I beam when a load is applied to said second arm thereby to prevent slippage of said plate down said I beam.

13. A scaffold support of the character described including a pair of counterpart devices each of said devices including a plate adapted to be applied to the side of an I beam or the like, an arm projecting laterally outward from each plate, means for securing said plate to said I beam and an extension member adapted to be secured to each or" said arms, said plates being secured to said I beam one above the other, means for securing the extension member of the upper arm to .1 "eject horizontally outward therefrom and means connecting the other extension member to said upper extension member and said lower arm whereby said lower extension member forms a brace for said upper extension member.

JAMES E. CHICOINE. 

